Wednesday, March 21, 2018

About The Concerts

Philharmonia Orchestra of New York (PONY) presents two powerful concerts of La Traviata with live singers, live orchestra, and 3D hologram visuals under Maestro Atsushi Yamada.

PONY upends opera conventions by taking audiences on a gripping journey of passionate romance and callous brawling, light and darkness, all told through music performed by world-class musicians accompanied by striking 3D settings, including the New York City skyline and Niagara Falls.

Accompanied by Project Hand in Hand

PONY is proud to welcome back the students of Project Hand in Hand for these concerts. For the past seven years, the musicians of PONY and Project Hand in Hand have worked together to help the children of Japan affected by the East Japan disaster through the power of music.

About Philharmonia Orchestra of New York (PONY)

Philharmonia Orchestra of New York (PONY) is an ensemble of over eighty of New York’s finest musicians. Its members have played with all the major Lincoln Center ensembles, including the Met Opera Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet Orchestra and former New York City Opera Orchestra. They are joined by recent graduates of America’s finest conservatories.

The Players

Atsushi Yamada, Conductor

In 2000, Atsushi Yamada made his American debut conducting Rossini’s The Barber of Seville on the NYCO’s national tour. In 2002, he was assigned as the Assistant Conductor for the NYCO, and in November 2003 was selected as Regular Conductor for Hansel and Gretel, making a sensational debut at Lincoln Center.

Atsushi was the second Japanese conductor to perform at Lincoln Center after Maestro Seiji Ozawa, and the first Japanese conductor of the NYCO. In November 2013, he was appointed as the Principal Conductor for the New York City Opera Orchestra (NYCOO), the independently restructured orchestra of the bankrupted NYCO.

Karen Chia-ling Ho as Violetta

Winner of the prestigious Renee Fleming Award from the Eastman School of Music, soprano Karen Chia-ling Ho began her musical career at the age of six singing in the Taipei Hua-Hsin Children's Choir of Taiwan.

In the 2016-17 season Ms. Ho made her debut with the San Francisco Opera in a world première of Dream of the Red Chamber by Bright Sheng as Princess Jia and made her Carnegie Hall debut with the American Symphony Orchestra in Krenek's Der Diktator under the baton of Leon Botstein. Ms. Ho reprised her role in Dream of the Red Chamber with the Hong Kong Arts Festival in 2017.

Robert Kerr as Germont

Known for his stage savvy, Robert Kerr’s foundation in opera began in musical theater. Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times wrote of his Falstaff: “He made words matter and conveyedthe self-delusion of this likable laughingstock… “

In 2016 he returned to Japan for engagements in performances of Requiem by Minoru Miki in Natori, reprising the work at Rose Theater at Lincoln Center. He was Germont in La traviata with the Arroyo Foundation, was soloist with the New York City Opera Orchestra in a Japan tour of Carmina Burana and sang Tonio in Pagliacci with Opera Columbus.

Rachelle Pike as Flora

Winner of the Connecticut District Auditions, Rachelle Pike hails from Christchurch, New Zealand.

Pike is a graduate from the Manhattan School of Music earning a Masters in Music in Professional Studies. Prior to that she received her received her undergraduate degree from the University of Canterbury and became a member of New Zealand Opera’s Emerging Artist program.

In 2015-16 Pike made her role debut as Mary in Der fliegende Holländer with Virginia Opera and reprised the role of Flora in La traviata with New Zealand Opera. Pike was also featured in an all-Wagner/Verdi concert where she sang selections from the Wesendonck Lieder.

Sean Anderson as Marquese d’Obingny

Classically trained for the Shakespearian stage, Sean Anderson has received high recognition for having a voice of “warm vocal velvet” by Opera News and is diversely adept onstage in opera,musical theater and classical drama. His repertoire list includes dozens of leading roles ranging from Verdi to Mozart to Gilbert & Sullivan. His magnetic stage presence and authoritativevoice have won him critical acclaim for both comedy and tragedy.

Mr. Anderson returned to Knoxville Opera in the 2016-17 season as The Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance, concerts with Intermountain Opera and as Carl-Magnus in A Little Night Music.

Alex Richardson as Alfredo

Tenor Alex Richardson started the last opera season with his Metropolitan Opera debut as the Shepherd in Tristan und Isolde with Simon Rattle and Asher Fisch conducting and later in the season performed in Salome; he was soloist with Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall in Bruckner’s Te Deum and in Uruguay; and was tenor soloist with the New Haven Symphony in Verdi’s Requiem.

Richardson returned to Lincoln Center in an all-Verdi programat Rose Theater; was soloist with the Boston Philharmonic in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9; and sang with the Southern Florida Symphony in their concert of opera excepts.

Liz Lang as Annina

Soprano Liz Lang was recently chosen as a recipient of the Career Bridges Artist Grant in New York City. She was recently heard in recital with The Patchwork Project in a politically inspired program called Our America.

In April 2016, Ms. Lang made her professional debut as Iris in Opera Omaha's production of Handel's Semele directed by James Darrah, designed by the creative members of Chromatic, and conducted by Grammy® award winner Stephen Stubbs. Opera News proclaimed, "As Iris, Liz Lang's comedic timing and clear resonant tone equally matched strength and focus."

Brett Pardue as Gastone

Tenor, Brett Pardue, has been praised by Opera Lively as "a name to be followed" and by D.C. Metro Theater Arts for having "matinee-idol looks and personality, and [singing] equallyattractively."

Pardue will play Florestan in Fidelio with Rutgers Symphony Orchestra, Hellmuth in Blindekuh by Johann. Strauss in a NAXOS recording project at the Ruse State Opera of Bulgaria, and Armand de Clerval in Thérèse, Massenet with Amici Opera.

Before being appointed to the faculty at Lehigh University, Pardue appeared with Asheville Lyric, Capitol City, and Cincinnati Opera companies and with the Spoleto Festival and The University of Georgia’s Symphony Orchestra.

Brian Mextorf as Baron Douphol

Receiving critical acclaim with “comic honors” and a “standout performance”, Brian Mextorf has begun to showcase his abilities on not only the operatic stage but in concert hall as well.

As a resident artist, he was recently heard at Virginia Opera as John Styx in Orpheus in the Underworld; Marcello in La bohème in a production performed in various non-traditional venuesaround the Virginia; Paris in Roméo et Juliette; Captain Corcoran in H.M.S. Pinafore, and the Birdseller while covering Anthony in Sweeney Todd. Brian was also heard at Opera Saratoga in an innovative and acclaimed outdoor production of Dido.

Rafael Porto as Dr. Grenvil

The Brazilian-American bass-baritone Rafael Porto is a recent graduate of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where he began to hone his craft in the early stages of this career.As a result, he has been honored as an advanced participant by the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions twice, the National Orpheus Vocal Competition, National Society ofArts and Letters, Classical Singer Competition and the Montefeltro Music Festival Scholarship.

Mr. Porto made his professional debut with Indianapolis Opera as the Commissioner in Madama Butterfly and later returned as Billy Jackrabbit/Castro in La fanciulla del West.